National Green Tribunal

A month after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) imposed Rs 50 crore penalty on Karnataka for neglecting two lakes, one of them Varthur lake - again caught fire around 2 pm on Sunday. People living in the vicinity spotted thick smoke billowing over the Varthur lake and informed police and fire fighting services. The lake is located in Bengaluru.
Locals said Varthur lake caught fire at three different spots and the fire started spreading quickly. The thick plumes of smoke could also be seen some two kilomenters away from the lake. When India Today TV reached the lake, the fire brigade personnel were present and were trying to find ways to douse the flames.

Rat-hole mining involves digging of narrow tunnels for workers to enter and extract coal.
The entire state of Meghalaya is very rich in mineral reserves. Not just coal, many other minerals are found in abundance in Meghalaya.
East Jaintia Hills happens to be one of the highest reserves of forest and coal. This region is also very less populated, making it difficult for those who wish to operate out of this region to use the local facilities.
The state of Meghalaya is facing a ban on coal mining. The National Green Tribunal put a ban on coal-mining in 2014.
But the rich reserves of Meghalaya have been a source of livelihood for most of its inhabitants.
The quality of coal in Meghalaya is superior and its cost is cheap. One truck of Meghalaya coal fetches income almost equivalent to what two truck of Jharkhand coal would.

After the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Saturday dismissed Tamil Nadu government's decision to close Vedanta's Sterlite copper plant in Tuticorin, the state govt said that it will be approaching the Supreme Court against NGT's order.
NGT's judgment, which was reserved on Monday, was uploaded on the tribunal's website on Saturday.
The NGT court, however, directed Vedanta to deposit Rs 2.50 crore as a token amount for their failures and asked the company to spend Rs 100 crore within a period of three years for the welfare of the inhabitants in the area.
At least 13 people were killed and several were injured on May 22 when police had opened fire on a crowd protesting against the factory.

An NGO has moved the National Green Tribunal seeking a stay on the proposed felling of more than 16,000 trees for re-development of seven south Delhi colonies by the National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC) and the Central Public Works Department.
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Thick smog continues to engulf Delhi and NCR. The particulate matter continues to remain at an alarming high despite several measures taken by the Delhi government. The Kejriwal-government will make a fresh attempt to enforce the odd-even plan. The state government will appeal at the National Green Tribunal to exempt two-wheelers and women drivers from the plan. The air quality has been declared hazardous disrupting normal life.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has rapped the Delhi government as Air Quality Index (AQI) deteriorated in the national capital. NGT has also sought an explanation from the government as to why it failed to sprinkle water from helicopters to keep a check on the pollution.It has also pulled up Haryana and Uttar Pradesh governments and asked them to file a report regarding the measures taken to reduce pollution, which is affecting Delhi as well.

In a bid to preserve the eco-sensitive Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) today declared it a "silence zone" and prohibited religious offerings beyond the entry point.A bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar said the Amarnath Shrine Board should ensure that proper infrastructural facilities are provided to the pilgrims so that they are not deprived of a clear darshan, and the ecology of the area is maintained.The NGT earlier said that declaring the area around the Amarnath cave shrine a "silence zone" would be helpful in preventing avalanches and maintaining its pristine nature.Meanwhile, the VHP has termed the NGT ban as an insult to Hindus and has demanded that the order be revoked.

The Yogi Adityanath government has proposed to build a grand 100-metre statue of Lord Ram on the banks of Saryu river along the temple town of Ayodhya as part of its reported plan to showcase 'Navya (or New) Ayodhya'.The proposal that is aimed at promoting religious tourism in Uttar Pradesh and prepared by the state's tourism department has been submitted before Governor Ram Naik.State officials have told The Indian Express that the statue is proposed at a height of 100 metres, but it is not final and will depend on approval from the National Green Tribunal.

Bengaluru is known as the Silicon Valley and also the California for India but it has been turned into a city that is wallowing in its own filth. Repeated deadlines have been set for the state government, which have been violated. Now, we are at a point where the city sees itself wading to filth every second day. But who is responsible for the dirt and who is killing Bengaluru?After the city was pounded by heavy rains on Tuesday morning, residents of Bellandur were a hassled lot. All because the Bellandur lake began to spill toxic foam onto the streets. Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that the state government is looking into the matter. "It is there, it will be solved within 1 or 2 years. The government is taking all necessary actions," he said.Panelists join India Today's Padmaja Joshi over a discussion on the civic mess and why is the Congress repeatedly violating the NGT (National Green Tribunal) deadlines. "By May 2018, you will have more than 1,050 MLD of sewage being treated and work has already been tendered out for the remaining 400 as well. By the next 2-3 years, the city's sewage will be completely treated. That will be the contribution of the Siddaramaiah government to Bengaluru, which no other government addressed till date," KPCC working president Dinesh Gundu Rao said.

Dirty, foul-smelling froth was back in Bengaluru's Bellandur lake and spraying passing motorists on Tuesday after a night of heavy rain, the worst in the city in August since 1890.Bengalureans woke up to flooded roads and parking lots, power cuts and other rain related fury on Independence Day.The NGT had initiated suo moto proceedings and issued notices to the state authorities in Karnataka, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Central Pollution Control Board, seeking information about measures taken by authorities concerned to restore the lake.

A good number of people, who invested their life savings for a dream home, were left in the lurch when builder Jaypee Infratech was declared bankrupt.The National Company Law Tribunal has admitted the plea of public lender IDBI Bank relating to default of Rs 526 crore loan by Jaypee Infratech and appointed an interim resolution professional for it.But the ones to suffer are the home buyers, who have invested their savings and hard earned money. Over 35 thousand home buyers feel that no one cares about their plight and that everyone has been cheated.

Toxic foam spilled over the streets near Varthur lake of Bengaluru on Monday. The foam inundated the streets after heavy rainfall on Sunday. The frothing made it difficult for commuters to navigate through the traffic on the roads near the lake. Sources said that the toxic frothing reportedly caused itching and skin infection among residents. The National Green Tribunal had on April 19 ordered the sealing of industries releasing effluents into the Bellandur lake. Incidentally, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that such frothing happens every year.

Bengaluru residents were in for a surprise today morning after the infamous Varthur lake started foaming. After a spell of heavy rains on Sunday the toxic lake started spewing foam, which covered the streets of Bengaluru. Previously, another lake in Bengaluru had caught fire because of the pollutants that were released into the water body. The National Green Tribunal this year ordered a closure of all polluting industries around Bengaluru's lakes.

The National Green Tribunal lashed out at the Karnataka Pollution Control Board and ordered it to shut down and seal polluting industries, and to ensure industries near the lake setup effluent treatment plants. The Tribunal has directed the joint investigation team of KPSCB, BDA and BWSSB to disconnect the electricity and water supply to such industries if they do not comply with its order and to ensure their closure. Regarding apartments and residential complexes around Bellandur lake, the Tribunal directed the civic agencies to give these owners reasonable time to install sewage treatment plants, and if they fail to do that, then their water and electricity can be disconnected. The Tribunal further directed the KSPCB to collect samples from existing STPs and get them inspected by the Indian Institute of Science in the city.

It is an unfortunate truth that people are getting used to the site of polluted lake in Bengaluru. For years, people in the city have tried to take things into their own hands, but that is not enough. The National Green Tribunal in its April 18 order had directed the state government to clean up the Bellandur Lake and submit a report on May 18 regarding the progress. Though many polluting industries in the vicinity of the lake have been shut as of now, the problem of stopping sewage from entering the lake is yet to be tackled.Today, 450 million liters per day (MLD) of sewage flows into the Bellandur Lake. Out of this, only 200 MLD is treated. Steps are being taken to treat another 150 MLD by July end. But the authorities still have to deal with 100 MLD of sewage.